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Sunday, April 19, 2009

I know it's really Spring when strawberry season starts around here. I think I could live on strawberries alone until the end of June! I almost did on Sunday actually. We went to friends' house for brunch and as we were talking outside on their patio, I dawned on me that it was also the weekend of the Strawberry Festival when strawberry picking really kicks off. We hopped in the car and loaded our baskets! I have already baked a couple of things with local strawberries I got both there and at the farmer's market but in the meantime I wanted to share these Strawberry Charlottes.

As you can guess, the little bit of fun we had today with our friends was extremely welcome. I have to say, with last Sunday I am loving how such good weekends are giving me so much energy during the week. Welcome Spring!! Sorry Jen...we are not making snow angels in the snow but rolling in wild flowers. I keep filling the house with all sorts of buds and flowers that I find in the wood across the house. Bailey also makes sure that the ones from the florist are as tasty as the ones on his morning walks.

I made the Strawberry Charlottes a few weeks ago but did not get to post them until today. I have become so OCD about backing up text and picture files for the book that I did not realize I was backing up a bunch in the wrong folder including these. They were so good that I was getting a little sad knowing I would not have much time to make them again soon, until I looked under the "house stuff" folder. Why did I file them there, I don't know...Actually I do and it scares me a bit so close to being another year old..

I am getting mushy brains for sure. No, it's not that I am losing it but I notice that my focus is so tense on the thing I am working on at a particular time than anything that does not relate to that is relegated to a dark part of my brain. My inner dialogue goes something like this these days "Phone bill? What phone bill? Keys? Where the heck did I last see them? Speaking of which...where are my dogs?"

All day today I wished I still had a couple of these to share at brunch. I got inspired one more time by Japanese Pastry Chef, Hidemi Sugino who captured the essence of charlottes as my grandparents and their parents before them would have had them. Before people started using ladyfingers to build the charlottes, the most usual way to make them was actually to line your mold with day old bread and let the juice and moisture from your feeling permeates the layers to make them soft. Times have changed but Sugino had a recipe in one of his books using that idea which I interpreted my way by using angel food cake that I had leftover instead of bread. The filling is a simple vanilla pastry cream. Simple, clean, delicious...

Strawberries and Vanilla Charlottes Recipe:Makes 4 to 6Note: for this recipe I used cake that I had already baked just to eat as is, that's why it's made only for 4 to 6 cakes. Angel food cake gets its name from the quantity of egg whites used. Homemade beats store bough, hands down and it makes a lot to share with friends. Freeze the yolks for a later use or make custards, puddings, ice creams, creme brulee, etc...You can use pound cake, yogurt cake, day old bread, like an uncut loaf of pullman bread, etc...Since I was talking about leftovers, I still felt it was courtesy to give the recipe for angel food cake.

Make the cake: preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.Sift together the cake flour and confectioners sugar together. Reserve.In an stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with hand held beaters), whip egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy (think cotton candy). Gradually add sugar while beating, and continue to beat until very stiff (think shaving cream).Carefully fold the egg whites into the reserved flour mixture along with the lemon zest. Pour into a 10 inch tube pan lightly spray with cooking spray.Bake for 45 minutes. Remove it from the oven and invert the pan and set it over a longneck bottle (water or wine). It is necessary to invert the pan when making angel food cake because while it cools, the weight of the cake is enough to collapse it if you let it sit on the counter top. Upside-down, the weight of the cake will keep the cake tall. Release the cake from the pan when it is completely cooled. Cut four to six 2-inches thick slices. Place a 3-inch cookie cutter on a slice of bread, insert and run a knife around the cutter to form one cake base. Hollow out each cake with a spoon or melon baler. Repeat for the other slices. Place the powdered sugar on a large plate and roll the cakes in it. Reserve.

Make the pastry cream: on a flat surface, cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds from the pod.In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and vanilla bean seeds and pods over medium high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer.In the meantime, whisk together the egg and the egg yolk with the sugar and cornstarch.Once the milk mixture is hot, remove the pod and slowly pour it over the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over medium low and cook whisking constantly until the mixture thickens to a thick pudding like consistency. Transfer to a container. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the cream to prevent a skin from forming and let cool completely before using. Fill the cavities of each reserved cake. Decorate with the strawberry slices.

Those charlottes are totally lovely. I'm okay with no more winter. We kind of got smacked upside the head with it this weekend. Ahhh, flowers. Not any coming out of the ground yet around here! Did Bailey eat them? As for brains going to mush... WE KNOW WHY your brains are mush right now. Get to bed! xxoo

I totally love strawberry season too and it has finally started!! I've already consumed quite a few and am looking forward to incorporating them in many many more things! This is a lovely recipe and bookmarked now!

I know what you mean by being obsessive about backing up files---did it for three years when I was at fashion school, where we would slave away for days and nights for months, and then it all culminates into a presentation of all your work in a mere 20 minutes. Imagine losing all your files the night before!!!

Love the freshness of the charlotte, and your photos make me long for spring!!

You know, I've never had/made charlotte or trifle before? I just kept thinking, yikes, wet cake! (I'm weird like that.) But these are just so beautiful I'm going to very easily get over that neurosis! :)

Charlottes are just delightful, and I love the simple flavor you use here to feature the strawberries. I'm looking forward to the spring's berry picking and making some light desserts like these with my finds!

Jen: to me it is worth making it to beat sotre bought angel food cake! I make a lot of pots de creme, creme brulee, ice cream with the yolks so I always have egg whites parked in the freezer ready to be used.Question of planning I guess. You could also use pound cake instead.

Bibi:for this recipe I used cake that I had already baked just to eat as is, that's why it's made only for 4 to 6 cakes. Angel food cake gets its name from the quantity of egg whites used. Homemade beats store bough, hands down and it makes a lot to share with friends. Freeze the yolks for a later use or make custards, puddings, ice creams, creme brulee, etc...You can use pound cake, yogurt cake, day old bread, like an uncut loaf of pullman bread, etc...Since I was talking about leftovers, I still felt it was courtesy to give the recipe for angel food cake.

The Clever Pupp: Bailey is a mix of labrador and pitbull: shorter and skinnier than a lab, with a stalky strong chest and the eyes of a pit but all the nonchalant and fun manners of a lab. A bit too energetic at time though :)

A friend just introduced me to your blog and everything looks HEAVENLY! I am in awe of your talent and genius!

Now that you've whetted my appetite, I am dying to try some of these recipes, but they just seem too complicated for my inexperienced self.

I was wondering if possibly going forward you could make a separate label category for "BEGINNER RECIPE" or some such thing. Of course, maybe all your recipes are too fabulous for such beginner nonsense. If that is the case, I do hope one day to be up to par in the kitchen to attempt some of these!

Absolutely gorgeous. I really like the idea of pairing with angel food cake. I've not tried making this cake as yet but have to put it down into my "to do" list .. and boy is it getting longer by the day!

I want to go to the Strawberry Festival!! Not fair! I guess, in the mean time, these strawberry charlottes will be a fabulous replacement. Boy do they look delicious! Like you, I feel like I could live off of strawberries alone sometimes; what a delightful treat!

About the angel food cake...what if, while it's cooling upside down, and you're back is to it, you hear a *plop!* and turn around to see that it has fallen out of the pan? How do you keep it in the pan?

Salpy: I have never that happened to me, either at home or at the restaurant. I am pretty sure that if the traditional method calls for this way of letting cool it is that it's pretty foolproof. The texture of the cake makes causes it to stik to the pan and it is very light in weight, not like a pound cake or butter cake.

I have just started buying local sweet gariguette strawberries and have been dying to make one or two things with them other than dusting them with sugar and plopping on a scoop of ice cream. These mini charlottes are gorgeous and inspiring. Off I go...

Aw -- look at that sweet Bailey -- so cute! I'm with you on the berries. Mmmm... and gorgeous charlottes -- I love that you made them the old fashioned way. Maybe now I'll get the nerve up to try them!

I never knew egg yolks could be frozen, darling - that is great! With all the custard based ice cream I've been making, I'm always looking for something nice to make with the whites - these are fabulous!

I love how the top of the charlotte looks like a flower. It matches really nicely with your flower photos. One day, I will make angel food cake. One day, when I have enough egg whites (I usually have the reverse problem.. too many yolks!).

These are just divine looking. Angel food instead of lady fingers is a wonderful idea! I'll have to remember that one. And I love the pic of the cute pooch smelling the beautiful flowers! Winter doesn't seem to want to leave for good around here, so I am dreaming of being in the pic with the pooch!I hope your book is becoming everything you hope it to be!

Julia: beside the fact that I shoot always with plain daylight, I also custom create my own white balance with a piece of white paper before I shoot. Takes a minute each time but that way I can be more accurate. I also never use the AWB function and shoot sometimes on the daylight balance. That's if I am too lazy to create my own.

Wow!! Lovely post and your photos are fantastic! Lovely presentation. This dish looks so beautiful and delicious with the colours. Can't wait to see your posting, my mouth is watering. Thanks so much for sharing.

Salut :) I love to read your blog, look at your wonderful photos and fooddesigns. You happen to mention a book of Sugino in your post here - is there one available in english? I'm looking for some of his recipes, but unfortunately I can't speak japanese..